There’s a new strategic plan being created in Delaware County to help school-age children receive mental health services, writes Kenny Cooper for WHYY.

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer this week announced the Delco Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools initiative.

The initiative was developed after talking with county officials and educators about how to use funds from the Pennsylvania Safe School grant more effectively. Those funds usually are used to improve infrastructure on school campuses.

More than 6,000 students, 2,000 family members, and 600 school staff members from most Delco school districts participated in a survey. Interviews, focus groups, and landscape reviews were also used to gather data.

Among other things, the initiative will bring a mental health counselor into every school, use school partnerships to increase mental, behavioral health, and substance abuse services, increase professional development in school, and create a public dashboard.

There is a growing mental health crisis confronting children and young people, Stollsteimer said.

“While this crisis predates the pandemic, it has been made catastrophically worse by the stress of the last two years.”

 The Delaware County Department of Human Services will house the plan and work on the initiatives.

Read more at WHYY about plans to offer children and youth improved mental health services.

Here’s a September 2020 ABC News report on how the pandemic is impacting children’s mental health.